Cornwall, one of the original six "Celtic nations" is the homeland to the surname Nantforthy. A revival of the Cornish language which began in the 9th century AD has begun. No doubt this was the language spoken by distant forebears of the Nantforthy family. Though surnames became common during medieval times, English people were formerly known only by a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames were adopted in medieval England is fascinating. Many Cornish surnames appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames. The name Nantforthy is a local type of surname and the Nantforthy family lived in the village of Nanfan, in Cornwall. Members of the family were involved in the blacksmith trade and prior to the 18th century often went by the occupational name Trengove, from the Cornish words tren meaning strong, and angove, meaning smith. Many used the name Trengoff of Nance.

Nantforthy Spelling Variations

Nantforthy Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Nanfan, Nanfant, Nantford and others.

Nantforthy Early History

Nantforthy Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nantforthy research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nantforthy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nantforthy Early Notables (pre 1700)

Nantforthy Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Nantforthy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Nantforthy or a variant listed above: John Nanfant who settled in Carolina in 1710; and Francis Nantford who settled in Barbados in 1672.

The Nantforthy Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Nantforthy Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.